tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214060562024-03-07T18:22:03.954-06:00knuckle sandwichesJennihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16489431785243754921noreply@blogger.comBlogger495125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21406056.post-82006417121759423672018-05-12T19:40:00.000-05:002018-05-12T19:40:34.333-05:00HELLO!!!!! Times flies, especially when you don't blog! It actually took me a while to figure out my old passwords/email account registered to my blog. But here I am. <br />
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I'll give a little update on everyone to catch up...<br />
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Lily is now 12.5 years old and in 6th grade. Sixth grade in PA is middle school! My child in in middle school! Did I mention we moved to PA? Anyhow, Lily is doing great in school. She is consistently on the Principle's List for straight A's and is recognized for her hard work with many awards from IB awards to a medal for placing on her Spanish test. She is a hard worker indeed. She doesn't like homework hanging over her so she will complete it immediately. Even if that means Friday after school. She is also figuring out the tween thing and is impressive with her ability to be honest and direct with friends. She's becoming more independent with wanting to stay home alone (even with grandma and grandpa gone....probably didn't mention they live with us, huh?!) and will hang out in her room listening to music instead of being next to me. Oh she's growing up. <br />
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Harrison is 10.5 years old and keeps us busy! His favorite sports are snowboarding (did for first time over spring break in the Poconos), lacrosse and soccer. Spring is a bit, or a lot, crazy for soccer and lacrosse but it's fun. He scored goals in both soccer and lacrosse and usually plays mid so he runs a lot. He also joined running club on Mondays after school because, you know, he wasn't running enough already. If he's not playing sports he's either playing video games or watching youtube videos of other people playing video games. Or he's playing with his million and one nerf guns or watching youtube videos of other people playing nerf guns. His buddy is Lucas and is also hanging out with the neighbor boys too. I plan to stock the fridge/pantry for all the hanging out they will be doing this summer. <br />
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Henry is 7 years old and in 1st grade. His teacher, Ms. Houtz, is awesome. He's definitely grown up in her classroom. He may have gotten a bit spoiled last year by Mrs. Kim. We are talking visiting siblings for hugs and Hersey kisses. Frequently. He's doing great in math and in the highest math class. Like the other kids, he's taking Chinese and Spanish and seems to enjoy both. He has the same after school activity desires as Harrison (nerf gun vs. video game) but add in legos as he still enjoys building legos, especially with Randy. His favorite sport right now is baseball. He started peewee baseball with Randy as assistant coach. His mood can certainly impact his enjoyment of anything. And his mood is definitely improved with food. He is getting much better about trying new foods. One of his newer foods and now favorites is tofu! And....another example of Hen growing up is he went to the dentist. And he opened his mouth! Yahoo!!! He did have a little oopsie while jumping on the couch with siblings. A quick visit to the ER for 2 staples in his head! Frequently with Henry I worry about his reaction to things. And of course I worried about how he would handle staples especially since he wouldn't open his mouth (besides crying) at a routine dental exam 2 years ago. BUT....staples...no problem. He did great. Really great. The fun box of goodies (Jared Box) given to him in the ER definitely helped. Legos in the ER. Why not?!<br />
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May is 4.5 years old (it hurts a little adding that .5 since she's the baby) and just started preschool! We did a lot of mom preschool and she loves learning. She even has a diarrhea (ie actually a diary but apparently so close that she calls it diarrhea all the time) and does homework in it without any prompting. That's just her style of play. Otherwise she loves to do art and make new creations out of googly eyes, pipecleaners, etc. We bought stock in scotch tape because we have to buy it all the darn time. Currently she is putting together a puzzle. Elsa from Frozen puzzle of course. Still loves, loves, loves her red panda and blankie. Don't have to take them everywhere but mommy handa does join us frequently. She still naps and just this week I stopped giving her structured naps (in bed, read books, mom snuggle) but she still finds a way to snooze. She started gymnastics and loves it. Loves her coach too. There isn't much May doesn't like. She's not a huge fan of spiders and bugs BUT we started to attach names to them so she's much more tolerant of them. Jim Bob isn't so scary when he's called Jim Bob. <br />
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So that's good for now. Long day of sports and finishing with forcing kids to watch Beetlejuice. They just can't appreciate movies that we loved as kids! I'm tired. Everyone's snuggled on the couch. Time to enjoy that. Jennihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16489431785243754921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21406056.post-73568520399124578212015-09-24T14:04:00.001-05:002015-09-24T14:05:53.246-05:00Henry, Oh HenryMy little buddy loves to collect things. Very random things. I knew when I cleaned out our mud room cubbies he would be in his element. Captured is Henry wearing his dad's helmet band, a headlamp, a hammer and a golfing tee. <div>Not sure if these items speak more of his interesting fashion sense or of my exotic collection in my mud room cubbies. <br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj34lyJFmG2E-hP8zM12OjpzTbi3XKKjymjizaSiU0TejAoNyOdlfBRIeL5faTo8Wh_gSNAeu_QWQ3Z7n5KzE65jCjKVbt_EM5H2j-CP2bHavEN9s8oBhomlZzU5ljQVUi1gQlA5w/s640/blogger-image--1773941630.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj34lyJFmG2E-hP8zM12OjpzTbi3XKKjymjizaSiU0TejAoNyOdlfBRIeL5faTo8Wh_gSNAeu_QWQ3Z7n5KzE65jCjKVbt_EM5H2j-CP2bHavEN9s8oBhomlZzU5ljQVUi1gQlA5w/s640/blogger-image--1773941630.jpg"></a></div></div>Jennihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16489431785243754921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21406056.post-12636651286203748012015-09-03T08:50:00.001-05:002015-09-03T08:50:26.427-05:00Kids rule the worldMaybe not the world, but it's impressive when a 2 year old determines your day. May and I just dropped off Lily and Harrison at school and instead of going inside to tidy up the kitchen after breakfast we are sitting in my van. May's favorite activity as of late is to play in my van. Pushing all the buttons, opening doors and appearing confused when the child safety lock prevents them from opening over and over. All the while I sit nearby slightly bored and knowing there are breakfast bowls needing to be rinsed and cereal needing to be swept off the floor. But at least now I can blog about it. Yeehaw!! <div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSJ5rs22bQN2iooDjN-yewwj32x46-D0R10Zo21pkbuzFcky7iN5qhFqt24YoxkWS8DOBSUrVmX6BetRZL8KNbOWcsgy4fhUD6purpCpcN_3IbhQ-K9ZitOAYdXDiP-x2RyrF1ag/s640/blogger-image--1643229112.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSJ5rs22bQN2iooDjN-yewwj32x46-D0R10Zo21pkbuzFcky7iN5qhFqt24YoxkWS8DOBSUrVmX6BetRZL8KNbOWcsgy4fhUD6purpCpcN_3IbhQ-K9ZitOAYdXDiP-x2RyrF1ag/s640/blogger-image--1643229112.jpg"></a></div><br></div>Jennihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16489431785243754921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21406056.post-52483469703418487982015-09-02T23:48:00.001-05:002015-09-02T23:48:38.836-05:00First day of school (A week late!)Lily 4th grade!!<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoUNJ5AqFFjYfCjF-ZSUPkZ-x0GYf1BWak0ZhhYnWWlea3QmMdkMsbn9U_DERqzdehU1MtE_M1wn10Ys-D324xORWbmNf_Swy8QIekf105ubxUH-qRDRWulEsKH4Uu_dSpCbnQLg/s640/blogger-image--928739207.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoUNJ5AqFFjYfCjF-ZSUPkZ-x0GYf1BWak0ZhhYnWWlea3QmMdkMsbn9U_DERqzdehU1MtE_M1wn10Ys-D324xORWbmNf_Swy8QIekf105ubxUH-qRDRWulEsKH4Uu_dSpCbnQLg/s640/blogger-image--928739207.jpg"></a></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>Harrison 2nd grade!!</div></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSARXSvvBmV0ZDLcOgq-dHNAkxmxpsGMVyTmQxYBJnWAqu1W5h1zv6VuOt18qtAPEnfnf9EVm6CYt85zZBYX0kkSnZkIvRC8DACQnHchbCccj_lBnwJ9UWJRnPMBj348RrpFKFOQ/s640/blogger-image-385076159.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSARXSvvBmV0ZDLcOgq-dHNAkxmxpsGMVyTmQxYBJnWAqu1W5h1zv6VuOt18qtAPEnfnf9EVm6CYt85zZBYX0kkSnZkIvRC8DACQnHchbCccj_lBnwJ9UWJRnPMBj348RrpFKFOQ/s640/blogger-image-385076159.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPUk0eXxYY8QKceYiGTnfFKl5APHK_-jf3GUxzMIdDTrsqMWAikE4UHyS6nXpNKMPjJs2A0PRVwqJ7lq1FYkdILVdW6pGWsWaB9q-mJNHBLh4Bt4PC5mrnCt-Wm-EnlsbTiq_EVQ/s640/blogger-image-492885657.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPUk0eXxYY8QKceYiGTnfFKl5APHK_-jf3GUxzMIdDTrsqMWAikE4UHyS6nXpNKMPjJs2A0PRVwqJ7lq1FYkdILVdW6pGWsWaB9q-mJNHBLh4Bt4PC5mrnCt-Wm-EnlsbTiq_EVQ/s640/blogger-image-492885657.jpg"></a></div><br></div><br></div>Jennihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16489431785243754921noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21406056.post-50219084371417577332015-09-02T23:43:00.001-05:002015-09-02T23:43:16.435-05:00Preschool and turning the big 0-2This momma was hit hard in one day by proof of babies growing up too fast. Henry was off to his first day of preschool AND May turned 2 years old. On the same day. Tears. <div><div><br></div><div>Henry was my first stay at home baby. Despite working from home for his first 1.5 yrs he never went to daycare. A college girl babysat him a few hours a week during my work from home stint. He got a lot of mom's attention! Anyhow, I was worried about him and it was for nothing. He did great. Big smiles going and big smiles coming home. </div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoTK9nxhU0-sYRoYj36-ZxVsIIYAD7z7ebKPrIa1EczUXxFZkoLfspvkrKkXDGGI0qlW0LRECsHFHb-BkZ8xfRJhKcuE7IykiGttX2z0fIBkewUifokIorlW2gm_culzaYVgFg2Q/s640/blogger-image-1198486424.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoTK9nxhU0-sYRoYj36-ZxVsIIYAD7z7ebKPrIa1EczUXxFZkoLfspvkrKkXDGGI0qlW0LRECsHFHb-BkZ8xfRJhKcuE7IykiGttX2z0fIBkewUifokIorlW2gm_culzaYVgFg2Q/s640/blogger-image-1198486424.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>May's birthday was pretty low key. Grandma Kim and Grandpa Roger visited for her birthday which is always nice. I made her some cupcakes and she was sung to about 100 times that day. So much she started singing it (as best she could). She got some trucks, books and I'm going to decorate her bedroom since she never really got any decorations at all. Since birth. 😁 </div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu0EYElVgg-X3ths_GUE552R-9XbCeojPPqpxamS5NZK-0fSKGZVH2fcJPolwwYWWXjzpS7S1zeyb6VosBpPlilrNZRk7H62IrVLgtocD11wfd-NOfoFqZAfN_XphKrZwi8XHbZw/s640/blogger-image--1590747551.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu0EYElVgg-X3ths_GUE552R-9XbCeojPPqpxamS5NZK-0fSKGZVH2fcJPolwwYWWXjzpS7S1zeyb6VosBpPlilrNZRk7H62IrVLgtocD11wfd-NOfoFqZAfN_XphKrZwi8XHbZw/s640/blogger-image--1590747551.jpg"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRki9u2sr3yMwYeudbNMvj-MsJvkT9fdMHkSd9RG6Y2Yf3KQfan7Rgodor5hqm_1dEIp0rlUtOhwYM4lvHhSsBlJ_rYPCgOwkiOycGkZPK4fWEONbK3OS1ifXD8CxxWyxkb8CW6w/s640/blogger-image-1533041465.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRki9u2sr3yMwYeudbNMvj-MsJvkT9fdMHkSd9RG6Y2Yf3KQfan7Rgodor5hqm_1dEIp0rlUtOhwYM4lvHhSsBlJ_rYPCgOwkiOycGkZPK4fWEONbK3OS1ifXD8CxxWyxkb8CW6w/s640/blogger-image-1533041465.jpg"></a></div></div></div>Jennihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16489431785243754921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21406056.post-61601191313599773412015-09-02T15:47:00.001-05:002015-09-02T15:47:13.148-05:00Waiting for kids<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi46HCju24l4uPksWGrqScGV1HQkqM9DDgw0eEtvebQedl2tnNRdQwl8olFegXHKY3gPVHaKjHkGM5C3VuQfemKy4MOoDCpnxBV09Swq2Ku3EoKq5hI7a85pPWBuQs9KXj4d_beeA/s640/blogger-image--433137205.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi46HCju24l4uPksWGrqScGV1HQkqM9DDgw0eEtvebQedl2tnNRdQwl8olFegXHKY3gPVHaKjHkGM5C3VuQfemKy4MOoDCpnxBV09Swq2Ku3EoKq5hI7a85pPWBuQs9KXj4d_beeA/s640/blogger-image--433137205.jpg"></a></div>I'm currently sitting in car pool line waiting for Lily and Harrison to get out of school. Usually I walk to their team door (Harrison's at least, can't be two places at once although that would be soooo nice) and walk home or to our car with them. But they are happy with the extra independence of meeting each other and walking the back trail to my car (where I wait with all the other parents). And now I can blog while doing so! <div><br></div><div>Not to exciting of a post but I'm over the moon to have the easy access of the app! And can blog as easy as posting to facebook! </div>Jennihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16489431785243754921noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21406056.post-25083066231856553312015-09-02T15:06:00.001-05:002015-09-02T15:06:25.881-05:00First time blogging via app!<br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibH1ZVkar7Mh8pprGSpBL2NXE9mPGLYv6Hxu8Lu2s4U-KMUAD073uPbaRueD3ELG7znSAljtm1Az69iZtjLY-Eh93TWqqxcEYF-FE5mq9GWQ0iwRguUgMyXPILlf4YYUU56J7y3A/s640/blogger-image-1887063645.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibH1ZVkar7Mh8pprGSpBL2NXE9mPGLYv6Hxu8Lu2s4U-KMUAD073uPbaRueD3ELG7znSAljtm1Az69iZtjLY-Eh93TWqqxcEYF-FE5mq9GWQ0iwRguUgMyXPILlf4YYUU56J7y3A/s640/blogger-image-1887063645.jpg"></a></div>Jennihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16489431785243754921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21406056.post-81148651405589175992015-03-02T21:01:00.001-06:002015-03-02T21:01:59.978-06:00The hardest thing about not blogging for so long and actually keeps me from blogging, is that I have so much I need to write about. It gets overwhelming. But I will take a deep breathe, in through my nose, out through my mouth and...blog.<br />
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Right now, Randy and I are in bed watching The Voice. He's eating ice cream while I blog. What I love about us is that we just laughed (I laughed until I cried) about something so silly...I was staring at him thinking about what I was going to blog and he caught me staring and was taken aback thinking I did something to his ice cream. So that probably isn't funny to anyone else but we just cracked up for a few minutes. So yeah...what was I saying?<br />
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This past weekend, Randy was pretty sick with a virus. Like contagious (higher fever for 2+ days) and self quarantined himself to the basement. This virus struck earlier in the week with May and hit Lily but not as hard. It was a hard weekend with May being 18 months old (which I know because she was being such a pill for days-yes she was sick-but this went on for longer than her sickness, and because my kids don't hit age 2 and turn terrible, they like to hit that milestone early at 18 months!) and Randy being out sick. But it's Monday and we all survived and Randy is better! He's even eating ice cream. Haha.<br />
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Henry received his birthday present from Grandma Sherry in the mail. A brand new scooter. He's pretty excited. So is the 18 month old. Can't wait until she tries riding it outside on the sloped driveway. Uh huh. <br />
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Lily is the homework champ. She has until every Friday to complete a 1 page worksheet and practice her spelling words but she does them immediately after school on Monday. Since I am a HUGE procrastinator, I am in awe.<br />
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After school, Harrison read me his literacy library books, did his homework and tried out a new math website on the "big computer." And before May's bedtime I planned to read a few Dr. Suess books since it's Dr. Suess week, but Harrison requested to read them. Yay!! Love his interest in reading. He's really improved this year and went up a few levels just from December. Happy! Happy! Happy!<br />
<br />And now, we have a quiet house. Everyone is asleep. Maybe not Lily. She likes to read for a very long time before bed. Sometimes I feel like I should make her stop reading to get to sleep but that seems wrong. Occasionally if shes reading an really great book she'll come into my room and have to tell us about it. Then we might suggest she get to bed and continue reading tomorrow. But again, love when my kids love to read. <br />
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So I'm outta here. Hope to blog again soon!! <br />
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<br />Jennihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16489431785243754921noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21406056.post-44857505463329425102013-12-05T10:27:00.003-06:002013-12-05T10:27:55.702-06:00cool new toy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Jennihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16489431785243754921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21406056.post-68370434081512568172013-11-01T11:51:00.002-05:002013-11-01T11:51:32.844-05:00Happy Halloween <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFo9xuYFHDkmVOxtpAu9uGejgcCE0jOb9dp-mKKbqLpmOSlzhPWIVtMqlwHDsUc4YI4BolFnMARattfsWiURiGWzONek0e0EXVkRrtWDdSowk0MRGoVBHFdThQmQTHkvkqtpSjfg/s1600/IMG_0803%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFo9xuYFHDkmVOxtpAu9uGejgcCE0jOb9dp-mKKbqLpmOSlzhPWIVtMqlwHDsUc4YI4BolFnMARattfsWiURiGWzONek0e0EXVkRrtWDdSowk0MRGoVBHFdThQmQTHkvkqtpSjfg/s320/IMG_0803%5B1%5D.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I know we're missing a baby but I can't manage to upload a photo from my phone.Jennihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16489431785243754921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21406056.post-33675080547792493612013-10-13T13:52:00.001-05:002013-10-13T13:52:42.013-05:00My new camera is AMAZING! Take a peek and see for yourself...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A strong man with his little beauty</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don't tell Henry this is what happens after he's in bed</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sweet daddy kisses for baby May</td></tr>
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<br />Jennihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16489431785243754921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21406056.post-25765482982990712662013-10-13T13:12:00.001-05:002013-10-13T13:12:07.634-05:00May May, 6 weeks old!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzEY0KyyJ5_Mlk8E8sTLDw2xoEMRFEoqTAhmXRvRKqxjBOqd2c9r4TUD_3pdAv5hsmwW10e0fdDRak' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />Jennihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16489431785243754921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21406056.post-1781880743725769382013-10-08T09:09:00.001-05:002013-10-08T09:09:12.352-05:00May Picture!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnp2i3df7T3MF3Z3LbPEDuyfWtuc2kIWZlWFKjWh3vGDglnb0xNOPBN5UvMeBtIegpJRlk9o1IGb6BDRGWY7W9iBIhzypMcwTZq3bm2hWKQdNoVzmQvwcp2YuAZmgzsY7Y4UiRuw/s1600/IMG_0244%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnp2i3df7T3MF3Z3LbPEDuyfWtuc2kIWZlWFKjWh3vGDglnb0xNOPBN5UvMeBtIegpJRlk9o1IGb6BDRGWY7W9iBIhzypMcwTZq3bm2hWKQdNoVzmQvwcp2YuAZmgzsY7Y4UiRuw/s320/IMG_0244%5B1%5D.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>
Quick picture of Miss May!! I got a new camera so I have many more! I'll upload more when I don't need to choose sleep over blogging. :)<br />Jennihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16489431785243754921noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21406056.post-17285613613720789332013-09-28T21:34:00.002-05:002013-09-28T21:34:41.290-05:00May (AKA Hannah) is a whole month old todayFour weeks today! Little Miss May is 4 whole weeks old. As Henry says "Wwwwhhhhaaaaatttt, nooooooo????" She is getting chubby cheeks and she is stretching out her legs. She is opening her little fists more often. She still holds in her legs, tucked under her butt, when I pick her up. I need to capture that on video...I find it soooo precious. A week ago, she was watching me while I was talking to her and she SMILED. A few times. Then she did it for Randy (who thought I was making it up) and she had another smiling session the next morning for all the kids to witness. She melts Harrison's heart because he always says "Awwww" anytime she makes a cute face. <br />
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For the past 4 weeks, Henry has called his new sister "Hannah." Prior to May's arrival we practiced taking care of a baby doll that Henry named "Hannah." It was very sweet since his occasional babysitter this past summer was named Hannah. But when he visited the hospital after May was born and when we introduced her as May, he said "No, Hannah." He has called her Hannah ever since. I try to correct him and he stands firm. So firm, occasionally I have called her Hannah! Well, at least he loves his "Hannah" and is frequently doting on her. Maybe too frequently. :)Jennihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16489431785243754921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21406056.post-60972807073062505792013-09-28T20:53:00.000-05:002013-09-28T21:01:45.582-05:00Harrison's missing tooth<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Harrison lost his first tooth! His tooth has been "loose" for approximately 2 years (or so he thought!). It had been pretty loose for about a week before it actually came out. He said it hurt so he didn't work on it as much right away. Finally one day it was hanging on by a thread. I offered to yank it but he wouldn't let me. While we were all watching tv one night he called out "MOM! It's out!" I knew immediately what he meant and I ran over to him to see him holding a tiny, little tooth. He didn't like the blood but he was soooo happy and excited. The tooth fairy delivered him three sparkly dollars. He immediately spent the money on legos.</span><br />
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Jennihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16489431785243754921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21406056.post-63018661634536940992013-09-13T08:38:00.001-05:002013-09-13T08:38:09.678-05:00I'm here, really here!Hi! I was enjoying a few quiet moments after Randy took Lily and Harrison to school, Henry was watching his tv show and May is sucking her pacifier while in her swing, moments before shes due to eat again. Oh wait, you might be asking Who's May? Haha...it's quite unbelievable the major life event that has happened since before I last blogged! But everyone that reads my blog already knows about our new little bundle of joy, May Violet. Since my few extra moments were really spent trying to get into my blog (they tend to change settings more frequently than I blog) I don't have long. But I will leave you with 2 fun pictures...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkapFDrF3RzOxKldtG2lRJQAfEVk1Q94Ngtz4Gdn9sSJAOOKIOymgi5ui7C3xXQuZ9EBo-lYBthxR6TV3ix2z4ZmXthpN6c3kcKkT3_F6HwQYHyqBvgyzEp8FYksq5tgcwUtACKA/s1600/Lily+Harrison+and+May.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkapFDrF3RzOxKldtG2lRJQAfEVk1Q94Ngtz4Gdn9sSJAOOKIOymgi5ui7C3xXQuZ9EBo-lYBthxR6TV3ix2z4ZmXthpN6c3kcKkT3_F6HwQYHyqBvgyzEp8FYksq5tgcwUtACKA/s1600/Lily+Harrison+and+May.jpg" height="238" width="320" /></a></div>
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Jennihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16489431785243754921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21406056.post-38375560955373122552012-12-13T17:55:00.000-06:002012-12-13T17:55:27.007-06:00My husband rocksI'm slightly delirious from sickness but my husband does really rock. My new job doesn't come with any sick day benefits. Can you believe that employer? I'm not flu sick or strep throat sick which is probably the only time I would have really called in sick to work anyway BUT it's not rainbows and butterflies trying to care for children all day while having a hacking cough, throbbing headache and hardly a voice. My voice is better than yesterday but most times I say something the recipient asks me to repeat what I just said. Understandably since I sound like a drunk with a 50 year smoking history. But it takes effort to talk. So when I have to say it AGAIN I usually give up. It's just not worth the exertion. <br />
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Back to why my husband rocks. He has to work. But he left work early to come home and help out. And he ordered me straight to bed. I wandered around for 5-10 minutes because I wasn't sure what to really do with myself. I mean, there are 3 hungry kids around. But he kept ordering me until I finally saw the light and realized how great this action was going to be. <br />
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What mom has time to be sick anyways? At Christmas time?? With hardly any shopping done??? <br />
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I'm holed up in my bedroom (if kids knew I was actually laying in bed no rest would be happening) but I can hear Randy cooking dinner. And whistling. Did I mention he rocks?<br />
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Side note: Harrison has a pretty bad habit of yelling "MOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! COME QUICK!!!!!!!" and my inner track star comes out but I'll find Henry sitting nicely on the rocking chair in his room. Harrison is totally correct that I don't want Henry unsupervised on the chair; however, I've started encouraging him to describe the scene to me before completely freaking me out. I mean, if I hear "MOM, COME QUICK!!! IT'S HENRY" of course I imagine he crawled up the wall and is caught in the imaginary ceiling fan. Instead of the boy who cried wolf, this has been the boy who freaked his mother out 10 times a day. Since this mom was forced to lay in bed, guess what I just heard? "DAD, COME QUICK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" and Randy's pounding footsteps as he ran down the hall. Guess our lesson on describing the situation will continue. <br />
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Another thing I have to mention....he not only made dinner but he's also emptying and filling the dishwasher. Love that man.<br />
<br />Jennihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16489431785243754921noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21406056.post-4068333946085647072012-12-06T12:40:00.000-06:002012-12-06T12:40:13.071-06:00BrotherhoodThe joys of brotherhood include Harrison teaching Henry new things. Harrison teaches Henry new words almost daily, usually things like "truck" and "trains". It always melts my heart when I hear it. <br />
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Today I overheard another language lesson while Harrison and Henry were in the bathroom. Harrison was finishing up his bathroom duty while Henry was waiting for his bath. Harrison said "Henry, say junk." <br />
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Yep, joys of having boys. <br />
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To note-we have always called our body parts the appropriate names. "Junk" is a recent discovery and I believe it was learned from his father. Jennihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16489431785243754921noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21406056.post-90327936954730045962012-12-05T11:04:00.003-06:002012-12-05T11:04:43.970-06:00Sick kid. Elf with pointy legs. Fitting title.Lily is home sick today. I don't think she's really sick. She has a constant runny nose and is mopey but no fever, thankfully. She's had her fair share of fevers so it's nice (?) to just have a cold. And apparently, having all 3 kids at home with one constantly demanding more toast (the sick one) is when I find time to blog. Harrison is enjoying Lily's sickness since this means he can watch tv with her. Henry is quiet too. As I typed that I got scared and now I can confirm his quietness means he is watching Thomas the Tank Engine on the portable DVD player. <br />
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Other news around our house...our Elf on the Shelf, Will, arrived last Saturday. This is his 2nd year with our family. Last year was great. This year started great. Will's arrival included a fun breakfast of sugar- complete with doughnuts, marshmallows, chocolate milk and hot chocolate. He even brought fun straw glasses where the chocolate milk swirled around the kids' eyes and ears. And yes, they were made for kids. Not college students if you know what I mean. And no, I never used one as a college student. I was way more sophisticated than that. I used Randy's 3 story beer bong. Once. <br />
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Back to Will, our Elf. Let's just say he lasted 3 days before he started scaring the you-know-what out of Harrison. Apparently, his elf legs creeped him out. They are sort of long and pointy-ish. So Will took this to heart and started hiding in spots that hid his legs. It didn't work. Yesterday, Will was in a large vase on the highest book shelf in OUR room. The day started fine with all 3 kids saying Hi to Will. But things went down hill fast when Harrison was left alone while I rocked Henry to sleep for his nap. Harrison would normally hang out in my room and either play a x-box game or watch a show. When I came out of Henry's room I found Harrison lying on the living room floor. Just lying there. Bored but scared. He didn't want to go into my room since that scary elf with the strange grin and even stranger elf legs was there. Staring at him the minute he walked into my room. So we decided I would move Will to the bathroom. Well, you cannot touch the elfves. Or they lose their magic. Will needs his magic to fly to the North Pole nightly to report the good (and bad, imagine that!) behavior, fly back home and hide in a new spot (preferably one so we couldn't see his legs) and watch how the kids' behaved. So I carefully moved the entire vase into my bathroom. Harrison was happy. He didn't use my bathroom again but that is fine with me (he is a 5 year old boy with a 5 year old aim).<br />
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I wish our story ended there but it doesn't. Will was instructed to return to the North Pole and never come back. Per Harrison. We settled on asking Will to watch our family from the North Pole and not come back to the house for a while. So this morning Will wasn't here. Harrison was soooo happy and relieved. Lily, on the other hand, was devastated. She cried and cried. So much that Harrison decided Will could come back tomorrow. Oy! Will, the scary Elf on the Shelf with pointy Elf legs, saga will continue I'm sure!<br />
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<br />Jennihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16489431785243754921noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21406056.post-61611598026582349022012-11-11T09:40:00.002-06:002012-11-11T09:41:27.106-06:00Guest bloggerI am going to introduce you to a guest blogger. She is very creative and loves to write. She is a darling and I'm happy to introduce her writing to you.<br />
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Stay tuned....Jennihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16489431785243754921noreply@blogger.com30tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21406056.post-12835995471995587232012-11-11T09:39:00.000-06:002012-11-11T09:41:13.338-06:00lilys postthis is lily. i love mommy and daddy and fandml too. daddy is backinn panckas. but i am not eatin tham. i am eatin eggs. Harrison is eatin them tho. nevrmid i eat tham.<br />
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it is litin out sid. it is ranin out sid rile hrd. the deck is rele wet. our deck is rile wet like a putl.<br />
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ckewes are gren. Jennihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16489431785243754921noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21406056.post-21643817858341655622012-11-08T20:58:00.000-06:002012-11-08T21:00:10.840-06:00Gymnastics<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Lily started gymnastics about a month ago. She is a tumbling bumbling gymnest. She is loving it and she's good. She has been practicing her back bends, forward rolls and cartwheels. It's once a week for one hour. Which also means keeping 2 boys entertained for 1 hour in a tight space with lots of people around. After that first lesson, which was exciting for Lily but disastrous for the boys and I (I didn't bring 1 snack or 1 toy, what kind of mom does that???), I now bring along a huge purse full of toys, books and snacks. Much better!<br />
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Today, however, Randy came home from work early and guess what? He stayed home with the boys while I brought Lily! Can you even imagine how exciting that is?? Not that I don't enjoy the boys coming along but it meant I could SIT and WATCH. I enjoyed every minute. Lily enjoyed it too since I caught her frequently looking for me in the parent gawking window. I would wave and she would discreetly wave back. <br />
<br />Jennihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16489431785243754921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21406056.post-91082050867941266542012-11-06T13:40:00.002-06:002012-11-06T13:45:21.408-06:00Happy Birthday Randall!In honor of my hubby's 37th birthday yesterday, I'm going to let the world know about 37 things I love about him. In no particular order...<br />
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1.) He's hot. I innocently stalked him for months because he was the hot guy that worked a few stores away from me in the mall. Hey, no judging. Who didn't stalk when they were 17?</div>
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2.) He plays piano. Really good. On our 2nd "date" I picked him up at his house and when I rang the doorbell I heard piano music. He was playing Open Arms by Journey. Coincidence? No, he knew what he was doing.</div>
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3.) He's smart. Not just smart but smart. He would roll his eyes about any bragging but it's true. He's not just well educated about supernovas, soft x-rays and sub-orbital rocket payloads but he knows a lot about well, everything. Someone could ask a random question and he will know the answer. I frequently tell him he could just be making stuff up and everyone will believe him. Maybe next time I should fact check him. </div>
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4.) He's loved by my family. I have deeply felt for many years he is more loved than I am. By my own mother. </div>
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5.) He's proud to be the baby of his family. I'm not the baby so this concept is crazy to me but I've seen it with my own eyes. He will say "I wish I had apple pie". And it appears. He will think (without saying a word) that he's hungry for his favorite pizza. And it appears. One thing that always coincides with these strange occurrences is that they only happen when his mom is around. :)</div>
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6.) He's a good boy. Tied closely to #5. His mom does those things for him because he's a good boy. She raised him to be a good boy and whatever she did, she did it right. </div>
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7.) He's a good masseuse. My neck and my back thank him.</div>
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8.) He's a funny guy. He says "cool story" way too much but other than that I find him funny.</div>
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9.) He can cook a mean breakfast. Eggs and pancakes are 2 specialties Yum. </div>
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10.) He's protective. He always keeps me in his reach while getting through crowds. </div>
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11.) He reads. We don't usually read the same type of books (we gave Harry Potter a cute couple attempt but it only put me straight to sleep). He recently recommended a book he read and I'm currently enthralled in it. Maybe someday he'll read something I recommend. Probably not but I don't blame him. </div>
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12.) He calms me. Like no other. Just having him in my vicinity keeps me calm. </div>
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13.) He's a dandy, handyman. I showed him some pictures of a long shelf with hooks that I really wanted but couldn't find in stores. Guess what he's been working on? Yep, he's mine.</div>
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14.) He's my bedwarmer. </div>
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15.) He's likeable. This guy has friends. Friends from childhood, friends from college, friends from graduate school, friends from work, friends from all over the world. He had 10 groomsmen in our wedding and if he could of had more he would have. </div>
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16.) He loves his nieces and nephews. He might punch them in the arm. Hard. But he truly loves them. </div>
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17.) He's up for adventure. He's a snowboarder. Loves roller coasters. Really loves ultimate frisbee. Really loves ultimate frisbee. Yes, I meant to report that twice. </div>
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18.) He's not afraid to admit any grouchiness is 100% related to hunger. If he was Edward his dark eyes would warn me. Not that I want him to be Edward. Not at all. </div>
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19.) Speaking of Edward, he takes me to see Twilight movies. And doesn't complain. </div>
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20.) He has great taste in music. He has a knack for finding talent before the radio stations start playing them over and over. </div>
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21.) He goes to the kids' school to teach them about rockets and meteorites. How cool is it to have your daddy teach your class? And be his helper when he launches rockets for your friends. </div>
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22.) He's a good dresser. He might get a lot of grief from Ted, but he can dress. And #1 is a reflection of this. <br />
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23.) He's a good daddy. He's good with every part of parenthood. He's good with the baby stage, toddler stage, older kid stage. He's good running the house and kids when I'm away. He can take all 3 kids to the mall (on a cold, rainy Saturday) without a second thought. <br />
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24.) He is 100% fine when I take girl trips. Yay me!<br />
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25.) He's a good teacher. He frequently gets fantastic comments from students on their teacher reviews. <br />
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26.) He's a good saver and a spender. He has helped us become financially stable so I could quit working but he is balanced so we can enjoy an occasional dinner out/movie, etc. <br />
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27.) He helps me to organize my mental thoughts. If something it taking up too much thought and causing stress he helps me see this which in turn, helps me focus my energy on more important things. <br />
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28.) He helps me prioritize my projects. Even before Pinterest I had multiple, grand crafty ideas; however, it frequently led to stress, spending too much money, taking too much time and not always getting the result I hoped for. I've been presenting my ideas to him since he provides a truthful answer to which projects are worth my time and effort.<br />
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29.) He's supportive. The main thing is that he supported the decision for me to quit work to stay home with the kids. But he's also supportive when I recently joined a new gym (again). He supports the kids in their hobbies and sports and doesn't push anyone to do anything they don't want to. <br />
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30.) He can bake. He's made his mom's apple pie, sauerkraut soup, etc.<br />
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31.) He cleans! He got home from work early a few days ago, before I got home with the kids, and we found him vacuuming. With a smile on his face.<br />
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32.) He plays with the kids. Everyday. He plays legos, trains, he draws and colors, he wrestles, plays hide and seek, etc. If the kids say "play with me, daddy" he always does. <br />
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33.) He has manners. And uses them.<br />
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34.) He bought me a diamond ring last Valentine's Day. I don't want to sound way too materialistic, I only included it here because of the way he did it. He took Harrison shopping with him to buy it, kept it secret for 3 days before giving it to me in the exact same way he proposed to me. Awwww. <br />
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35.) Speaking of keeping my ring a secret for 3 days, I love that he CANNOT keep present secrets. He has shaken his gifts before to find out what they are (how does one shake a coffee grinder and KNOW it's a coffee grinder?). Typically he will give me a present before my b-day because he cannot wait. I can, he can't. <br />
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36.) If asked to keep a real (not present related) secret he will. Even from his wife. I normally feel the significant other can be excluded from the don't tell anyone else rule. But I was impressed when a friend asked him to keep a secret and he did it. Granted, I've learned of what the secret was at some point (not from Randy but from the friend that mentioned something, thinking I knew the secret). The friend and myself were very surprised.<br />
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37.) He loves me. He first said "I love you" 3 weeks after we started dating and says it multiple times everyday since. Even better is that his actions speak louder than words.<br />
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One doesn't always get the opportunity to tell the world but I have it via my blog so I want the world to know how much I love my husband. I love you baby. You're awesome. And I know your 37th year will be filled with a lot of fun, a lot of laughs and a lot of love from your family. </div>
Jennihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16489431785243754921noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21406056.post-85650250920761105602012-11-04T20:32:00.000-06:002012-11-04T20:32:33.800-06:00New HouseI mentioned a blog post or two ago that I would write about our new house. So I will. It's fabulous. We love it. Since we decided to build rather quickly we didn't have a long list of must-haves. But thanks to pinterest we managed to incorporate a dining room bench and mud room/laundry room lockers. The overall process was very smooth and lasted about 3.5 months. Like I mentioned before the house is smaller than our old one but it's a lot more functional. We have plenty of space. We have some empty cupboards even. Most everything has a place. Just wished it magically ended up there daily.<br />
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Even though we have space we decided to move forward with the basement finishing. Mostly so the kids can have their own bedrooms. Even though Lily and Harrison had their own rooms in our old house they shared a bunk bed in Lily's room (Harrison had a bed just never chose to sleep in it). I didn't think they would mind if we continued this process but I was wrong. Not long after moving in Lily was requesting her own room. I thought some fun, neutral decor would help. It didn't. I thought giving her choice of top bunk or bottom bunk would help. It didn't. I can say I'm beyond excited about decorating a very girlie room for her. Again, thanks to Pinterest it's gonna rock! Jennihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16489431785243754921noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21406056.post-897774570150564992012-11-02T14:53:00.002-05:002012-11-04T20:33:25.913-06:00Where to start?I know exactly where I want to start with this blog post...my hot topic is that I'm now a stay at home mom!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yeah!!! Yay!!!!! Yahoo!!!!!! It took almost 7 years but I'm very happy the time finally arrived. It wasn't easy. It took some serious grown up choices. It took selling our "dream" house. Which took a kitchen and master bathroom remodel. It.took.time.<br />
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I do wish I had more frequent reminders just how difficult working at home with children was. I've conducted meetings while making mac and cheese. When it was my turn to talk I would hide in my pantry. I've listened to teleconferences while putting Henry down for his nap. That tells you how exciting my teleconferences are that my baby can fall easily asleep while listening on speakerphone. I've driven all over our city to find a location with cell phone service to hold yet another teleconference that was too close to early out time. That same time I had a smoothie ready to pop into Henry's mouth if he started to cry. Yeah, those are great reminders for me. I was very happy working from home (if I had to work) but I don't want to do that for sometime. :)<br />
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My current days are filled with my boys. So...that means my days are basically crazy. :) Lots of wrestling or yelling for the boys to be careful so neither gets hurt, specifically the little one. Lots of railroad building. Lots of books. Lots of snacks.
Harrison turned 5 a few days after school started but ~3 weeks before the cut off. We opted to wait until next year to send him to kindergarten. We did our research. We know our child. We felt this was the right decision for him. We didn't base our decision on what was easier for us. But I have to say that it definitely affects me and I'm sooooo very happy we waited since I get to spend this year with him before sending him off to school and never having this opportunity again. He is officially attending "mommy school." We are still figuring out our routine and Henry adds an interesting mix to the school part. Today was a good day with a good mix of fun, errands, dr appt and learning. And a nap by BOTH boys (first time in years)! Yes, today was a good day!Jennihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16489431785243754921noreply@blogger.com1